Golden Dreydl: Klezmer Nutcracker for Chanukah

Ellen Kusher, the award-winning writer and producer for PRI's Sound and Spirit series, has joined forces with Boston's Shrim Klezmer Orchestra and turned Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker ballet into a modern mythic tale that rivals anything in C.S. Lewis's Narnia Chronicles. The Shrim Orchestra rearranged Tchaikovsky's masterful score, but Kusher did not retell the classic story with a Yiddish spin. Instead, she created the glorious, imaginative tale of Sara, a young girl who confides to her mother that she pines for a Christmas tree and loathes the family's annual Chanukah celebration. Shortly after her admission, Sara receives a magical golden dreydl, which transports her into a fantastical world peopled with demons, sorcerers, and sages. Beginning a holiday she will never forget, Sara goes on a mysterious quest and discovers the true meaning of her heritage and the holiday. A remarkable story filled with wit, humor, and wonderful irreverence. --Jaan Uhelszki